Still
by Fly On Aya
Summary: Set twenty years after FANG. Max is now 35 years old. Nothing have changed. But, when she receives a mysterious package, she knows she's forgetting something. How can she forget? WARNING: PROFANITY


**A/N: Hey! This is my first ever oneshot. Hope you like it!**

**Fang: Disclaimer: Aya doesn't own Maximum Ride. She owns this oneshot, though. **

**Iggy: Stop making her feel bad for herself! Just read this!**

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* * *

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_Arizona_

Twenty years have passed and still, nothing have changed.

Well, except the fact that I'm thirty-five years old, the whole world has become "modernized", and I'm still, STILL, single.

God, the last past is so embarrassing. I mean, sure it's normal, but it's humiliating to know that in five years, you turn forty and you're still unmarried and a virgin. (Like Steve Carell's movie.)

Let's get that matter out of the way. Just saying it makes me puke.

Yes, I'm thirty-five years old. I'm still the same Maximum Ride twenty years ago. Yes, ten-foot wingspan and all.

The Flock has changed too. Iggy, now a pyrotechnician, is also thirty-five years old and dating my thirty-three year old half-sister, Ella. For fifteen years. That's longer than any celebrity couple marriage.

OK, Nudge. She's thirty-one, MARRIED to some guy I don't approve off, and living the life she's always wanted. A famous celebrity fashion designer in Paris. She's still the Nudge Channel.

Gazzy. Yep, that's still his name. He never did change his name to "Captain Teror." Anyway, he's twenty-nine, still Iggy's sidekick, and still can make people gag to death in a closed room. One thing has changed, though. He's dating. I know, right? Gazzy, dating? Big improvement!

And last but not the least, Angel. Still adorable and cute as ever. Except that she's twenty-seven, a marine biologist, SINGLE (There's someone who's still single like me!), and she can still read and control anyone's mind.

Enough about them. You're not reading because of them. I know you're reading this because of me.

Well, where do you want me to start? The time I cried my eyes out when Fang left? The time when I tortured myself from wishing, WISHING, Fang never left and it was all a bad dream? Do you want me to start there?

No?

Fine, I'll talk about the present.

Presently, I'm still saving the world with CSM. Yep, still living with my mom. (Tragic...) So, I've been flying around the world with CSM for the past twenty years. It's fun and you get to meet new people from around the world. I met this girl in the Philippines, her name is Aya, and she kinda reminded me of...

Currently, I'm in Arizona with the Flock because Mom said I should get a break. I really don't want to, trust me.

So I'm here, sitting on the roof of the house Mom and Jeb (I still don't trust him) bought for the Flock twenty years ago. Although it is really hot out here, I still like it. I feel like I'm home.

* * *

It's almost noon when the mail arrived. I was always on duty to get the mail every time I'm here in Arizona. I hate it because every time I'm here in Arizona, it's always in the summer.

Sighing in frustration, I unfurled my wings and flew below. As always, there were so many mail.

_Two for Gazzy, ten for Nudge, three for Ella, and two for Iggy. _

I usually don't get any mail, unless you count mails promoting some church group, mails selling life insurance, clothes and shoes and mails that completely annoy me. (Spam.)

I notice that there was a small brown box on the bottom of the mail box. It said one word, _Max_. I picked it up and went inside. Iggy and Gazzy came scrambling at me and I just shoved them the mails. I continued staring the box I was holding on.

I took the stairs two at a time and isolated myself in my room. I never took my eyes off the package when I plopped on my bed. I have a feeling this is not from some random stalker.

_Max, I know that you know whom this package is from._

Just like I said, nothing changed. The Voice is still here, screaming at my head for twenty years. I still don't know who he or she or it is.

_Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like Iggy can make himself disappear_. I sarcastically replied The Voice. How can I know who is this from?

I was hoping the Voice would say something cryptic, he/she/it didn't.

Curiosity began eating my insides. I have got to open this package. Since it was a very small one, I opened it as fast as I open a peanut.

Two things came out. A CD in a case, and a letter. I took the letter and started to open it when the Voice kicked in.

_Max, read the other side_.

_What other side? _I angrily asked Voice.

_The other side of the letter. _

"Fine. I'll read the other side." I flipped the letter and sure enough, there was a message on it.

_Listen to the CD first_.

Oh, wow. "You're kidding, right?" Sarcasm coated my voice as I said it out loud to the empty room. Instead of waiting for an answer, I took my laptop and put the disk on. I opened Windows Media Player and one song was in it. Really? A song? The person should have sent me a note instead of a letter telling me to download this song. Tch.

Rather than going on and on about the person's stupidity, I played the song.

Suddenly, I knew who sent me this package.

_Going back to the corner __where I first saw you._  
_Gonna camp in my sleeping bag __I'm not gonna move._  
_Got some words on cardboard, __got your picture in my hand_  
_Saying, "If you see this girl, __can you tell her where I am?"_

_Some try to hand me money, __they don't understand_  
_I'm not broke, I'm just __a broken hearted man_  
_I know it makes no sense __but what else can I do?_  
_How can I move on __when I'm still in love with you?_

_Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me_  
_and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be_  
_Thinkin maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet_  
_And you'll see me waiting for you on the corner of the street_  
_So I'm not moving, I'm not moving_

_Policeman says "Son, you can't stay here."_  
_I said, "There's someone I'm waiting for; __If it's a day, a month, a year"_  
_Gotta stand my ground even if __it rains or snows_  
_If she changes her mind __this is the first place she will go_

_Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me_  
_and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be_  
_Thinkin maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet_  
_And you'll see me waiting for you on the corner of the street_  
_So I'm not moving, I'm not moving_  
_I'm not moving, I'm not moving_

_People talk about the guy that's waiting on a girl_  
_ohhh.._  
_There are no holes in his shoes but a big hole in his world_  
_ohhh.._

_Maybe I'll get famous __as the man who can't be moved_  
_Maybe you won't mean to __but you'll see me on the news_  
_And you'll come running to the corner __cause you'll know it's just for you_  
_I'm the man who can't be moved_  
_I'm the man who can't be moved_

_Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me_  
_and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be_  
_Thinkin maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet_  
_And you'll see me waiting for you on the corner of the street_  
_So I'm not moving, I'm not moving_  
_I'm not moving, I'm not moving_  
_I'm not moving, I'm not moving_

_Going back to the corner where I first saw you_  
_Gonna camp in my sleeping bag I'm not gonna move_

Tears stung my eyes. How can I forget?

I was ready to get out the house and find the person. But, the Voice told me to read the letter. So, while tears crash down on my lap, I ripped the letter open. Just reading the first line made the tears come even harder.

_I'm here._

_If you're reading this, it means twenty years have passed and you're still alive and you're already crying. _

_Max, you should know that I wasn't really gone. I was always here. I didn't mean to leave you, or even break your heart. I needed to keep you and the Flock safe. I didn't want you guys to be in danger._

_I'm still in love with you. It's hard to wake up every morning for the past twenty years, wishing to see you. Your smile, your grin; I miss everything about you. There were times when I wanted to go back and be with you and the Flock. But in those times, I would always remember why I left. My leaving was heartbreaking. I shouldn't have done it, but I have to._

_Remember on my letter? "When we're apart, everything is in shades of gray." That was how my life looked like these past twenty years. I so badly want to be with you. You don't know how much. Well, since you know me so much, you probably do._

_I haven't changed. Nothing changed. My appearance probably changed, but not my feelings. I'll repeat everything what I said in my last letter._

_I love you. I love your smile, your snarl, your grin, your face when you're sleeping. I love your hair streaming out behind you as we fly, with the sunlight making it shine, if it doesn't have too much mud or blood in it. I love seeing your wings spreading out, white and brown and tan and speckled, and the tiny, downy feathers right at the top of your shoulders. I love your eyes, whether they're cold or calculating or suspicious or laughing or warm, like when you look at me.  
_  
_You're the best warrior I know, the best leader. You're the most comforting mom we've ever had. You're the biggest goofball, the worst driver, and a truly lousy cook. You've kept us safe and provided for us, in good times and bad. You're my best friend, my first and only love, and the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, with wings or without._

_I'm sorry if I ever made you cry. I'm sorry if I broke your heart. _

_But hey, look at the bright side. We're not expired yet. The world is pretty much in one piece. And I'll always love you for the rest of my life. I know you still love me, that's why I'm still alive._

_See you soon,_

_Fang_

_P.S. You know where to find me._

"Damn you, Fang. Damn you. You were alive and you never even bother to call me!" I threw away the letter and opened my window.

I wanted to be angry. I wanted to be annoyed. I wanted to be hurt. Instead, I'm laughing. Laughing because I'm so freaking happy. Weird, isn't it?

Instead of flying out of my window, I went thundering downstairs, crying and laughing at the same time.

"Max? Are you OK?" Iggy, Ella, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Mom all asked me the same question.

I stopped on my tracks, my hand on the doorknob. I whirled and faced them. I tasted salt on my mouth. I only said two words.

"He's there."

* * *

I flew at 250 mph towards Lake Mead.

I reached the cliff two minutes later, still crying. I looked around for him.

Nothing.

I found nothing.

Why isn't he here? Why isn't he? I was ready to break down crying when I saw a movement on the corner of my eye. My head snapped to the direction of the movement.

I saw him.

He was sitting down, his arm thrown on top of his knee. He was looking at me with those dark eyes that always made me weak-kneed. His dark hair was shorter. His face was definitely older.

I wanted all of this to be a dream. _This can't be happening. This is all a dream. A dream. No, no, no. That's not him. Please tell me this is all a dream! _I closed my eyes tightly. I counted on three. I opened my eyes and he was still there.

_He's real, Max. He's really there. _Even the Voice is telling me that he's really there. He must really there.

I saw a corner of his mouth twitched.

Oh my God.

"Fang," I covered my mouth as I said the name I haven't said in a long, long while.

Fang stood up, brushed dust off his clothes and strode to me. He was right in front of me in three long steps. I looked up to him and blinked many times. I still can't believe I'm seeing for the first time in twenty years.

Fang smiled the smile that always made time freeze. "Hey, Max."

I wanted to wrap my arms around and hug him tight. I wanted to pull his mouth down to mine. I wanted to strangle him. All I did was laugh. I wiped the tears out of my eyes.

"I hate you, you know." I was laughing so hard that he took hold of my elbows to keep me up.

"You don't."

"Uhh, yeah, I do. I never knew where you were. What you were doing."

He just smiled wider. "You're definitely the Max I love."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Present tense? You were telling the truth in the letter." I shook off his hands gripping my elbows. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Like always, he was awkward in hugging.

I pulled away, our noses were touching. "You have no idea how much I wanted this day to come, Fang. You clearly have no idea."

"Of course I do. Why would I be here?"

"You knew I was going to come?"

"No freaking duh," I grinned and kissed him on the mouth. He kissed me back quickly. God, how I missed kissing him. "You have no idea how much I missed your kisses everyday."

"You're right. I have no idea." I kissed him again, this time, making it last longer.

He pulled back fifteen minutes later and kissed my forehead. "You should know that I'll always love you every freaking day."

"You said that in your letter."

"You're not gonna say it?"

"Say what?"

"The words?"

"Right. I love you, Fang. I'll always do. I don't care if I die right now." I laughed.

He turned serious. "Not funny."

"I know."

He kissed me again, and I just kissed him back with an equal passion. "Marry me?" He asked against my lips.

"No shit, Sherlock."

* * *

**A/N: So, did you guys like it? Like I said, THIS IS A ONESHOT. Just one chapter.**

**Iggy: Look at Fang. He's missing Max already.**

**Fang: You didn't just say that.**

**Me: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Back up. Back up. I want no blood spilled on this carpet.**

**Fang & Iggy: Fine. We'll do it outside.**

**Me: It's almost seven! Dinner's ready! **

**Fang & Iggy: Yes! RnR?**


End file.
